The present invention relates to hand-held plunge routers. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand-held, portable electric, right-angle plunge router capable of cutting work surfaces that are not accessible with conventional routers, prior plunge routers, or other cutting tools. One example is flooring material at or near the point where the flooring material abuts walls and cabinets. Another example is flooring material along the toekick of cabinets. Yet another example is work surfaces in comers.
Routing tools are well known in the art. Conventional routers are generally constructed with the motor housing and motor oriented along a vertical axis. A flat circular base plate is attached to the motor housing with its axis oriented perpendicular to the axis of the housing and motor. The motor drives a shaft which is oriented along the axis of the motor. A cutter secured to a tool chuck, which is secured to the motor shaft, extends through an opening in the center of the base plate. Some router designs allow the base plate to be pivoted to provide for angular cuts. In a prior design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,395 a router is designed with a vertically oriented arbor and a motor shaft oriented at some supplementary angle with respect to the vertical axis of the arbor. The arbor and motor shaft are interconnected by a pair of beveled gears fixed to the arbor and shaft respectively.
Plunge routers are also well known in the art. Plunge routers are generally constructed with the motor housing and motor oriented along a vertical axis and perpendicular to the axis of the base plate. A pair of laterally spaced, parallel columns fixed perpendicular to the base plate extend into column guides in the housing. A downward force on the housing moves the housing downward along the columns thereby moving the arbor and cutter downward through an opening in the center of the base plate and into the work surface. Examples of plunge routers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,264; 5,207,253 and 5,310,296.
Right-angle hand held cutting tools and the means thereof for transmitting rotary motion between angularly displaced shafts are also generally known in the art. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,411,024; 4,347,450 and 4,810,916.
However, prior tools are unsuitable or incapable of cutting work surfaces in close proximity to other surfaces which abut and are perpendicular to the work surface, work surfaces in confined areas, or work surfaces in corners.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held, portable electric, right-angle plunge router capable of cutting work surfaces in close proximity to other surfaces which abut and are perpendicular to the work surface, work surfaces in confined areas, and work surfaces in corners.
A portable electric, right-angle plunge router is disclosed which has a front and rear base, a plurality of laterally spaced columns, and a motor housing assembly. The front and rear bases are laterally displaced and each have a planar work engaging surface. Another embodiment could consist of a single large base plate with a planar work engaging surface; however, the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure consists of a pair of base plates. Affixed to each base are a pair of laterally spaced columns which extend perpendicular to the work engaging surface. The columns are covered with bellows to prevent dirtying of the columns.
The motor housing assembly is oriented with its central axis parallel to the work engaging surface. The motor housing assembly is translatably movable upon the columns relative to the bases to move a cutting tool into and out of engagement with the work surface. The motor housing assembly includes a housing and a drive motor for rotating the cutting tool, and four column guides. The drive motor, affixed to the housing, has an armature shaft rotatable about an axis which extends horizontal to the planar work engaging surface. Four column guides are affixed to the housing and are aligned and sized to slidingly engage the columns. A primary handle is formed in the housing between the front and rear column guides. A threaded sleeve is embedded in each side of the housing to allow a threaded auxiliary handle to be attached to either side of the housing. The plunge router also includes a depth-of-cut gauge, and a lock down mechanism to lock the router at the desired cutting depth.